Casino gaming devices such as electronic slot machine games and video poker have become extremely popular, and profitable, and continue to increase in popularity. While traditional gambling games such as poker, blackjack, and craps are fairly complicated and require at least a minimum level of gambling knowledge, which results in many people being turned off by such gambling games, slot machine games require little or no gambling knowledge. Gaming machines now account for a large percentage of casino profits, and numerous casinos have opened having exclusively gaming machines and no traditional table games.
In both mechanical slot machines and newer computer-controlled electro-mechanical machines, the player after accruing one or more credits by placing money or tokens in the machine takes a turn by pulling a handle or pressing a spin button, which causes a series of reels having pictures, symbols, or other images on their faces to rotate. In computer-controlled slot machines, the reels are typically spun by step motors driven by short digital pulses of electricity that precisely turn each reel a certain distance and stop at a predetermined point, while the older mechanical machines are controlled by a series of gears and levers. The outcome of each pull in computer controlled reel type machines is determined by a controlling processor in combination with a random number generator, and the result is displayed on a display screen. Video slot machines are also increasingly popular. While video slots have the appearance of operating in the same way as conventional reel-type machines, instead of having actual rotating wheels a video monitor displays an image such as an image of the reels spinning. In addition, both the stop position and resulting image were decided for each “reel” by a random number generator means at the time the start button was pressed. In both reel type machines and video slot machines, whether or not the player has a winning turn is based on whether one or more predetermined combinations of images or winning outcomes have resulted, and if a winning combination is displayed, a predetermined payout or award is issued to the player by the processor, and the player is free to play or spin again.
The odds of winning an award in a conventional slot machine game may be increased somewhat simply by playing more credits for each turn, which increases the number of pay lines that are played at one time, although the overall payout percentage for the machine is preset. Various payout schemes are common in modern slot machines. Standalone flat-top or straight-shot machines have a set payout amount that rarely changes, while in progressive machines, the jackpot increases as the machine is played and players put more money into the machine, until the jackpot is won and the machine resets itself. A plurality of progressive machines may also be linked to a single computer system, enabling the machines to be located in the same casino, different casinos in the same city, or even different cities across the country or world, all of which machines contribute to a single large jackpot payout. In an effort to increase the entertainment value and attractiveness of casino games to players and to entice players to continue playing the game for longer periods, thus spending more money, most slot machine games today also include some type of “bonus” round or payoff. More particularly, the bonus game is entered into upon the occurrence of a certain result or results in the first game.
While prior art slot machines games thus have an entertainment value and are generally suitable for their particular purposes, players quickly become bored with existing games and there is always a need for a new game system or method. The game of the present invention meets such need, and has the unique advantage that a player is a winner on each and every “pull” of a handle or “push” of a play button, either through a first stage of play or play routine or, if such player is not successful in the first stage or routine, through a second stage of play or play routine that automatically awards the player a prize. Despite the wide variety of known casino games, as far as the present inventor is aware, there is no game wherein the player is a guaranteed a payout or award in each and every turn, either in the first stage of play or second stage of play. The game system and method of the present invention will be described herein with reference to a video slot machine of a type known to those skilled in the prior art that displays a plurality of reel images on a monitor. However, it will be understood that such game system and method could be equally well adapted for use with electro-mechanical computer controlled reel type slot machines as well as the older mechanical slot machines as well as other variations.